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KIRK PENTON, QMI Agency

There will be another quarterback watch in Bomberville this week as the team prepares for a crucial home-and-home series with the Tiger-Cats, beginning Saturday in Hamilton.

No. 1 gun Buck Pierce has missed the last two games with a knee sprain, and the joint didn’t appear to be getting any better last week at practice. Having played hurt for most of his career, however, Pierce will no doubt proclaim himself 100% and ready to go this week.

Head coach Paul LaPolice said once Pierce is healthy, he starts. Backup quarterback Steven Jyles, however, almost won his second straight start on Saturday night in Calgary.

Trailing 23-18 in the final minute, he got the Bombers to the Stampeders’ 30-yard line, but three throws, including the last one well over Terrence Edwards’ head in the end zone, failed, and the Stamps took over on downs.

Jyles, who completed 17 of 30 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown, was somewhat happy with his play but put the loss on his shoulders.

“I know I led the team, but there’s a few throws I missed,” Jyles said. “If I make them throws and I give the receivers a better ball to catch, we make them plays and we come out of here with a victory.”

Shortly after the game Jyles was looking forward to getting back on the practice field.

“I know there’s work that has to be done,” he said. “I was talking to the receivers just now. We gotta go out and work a little harder, get that chemistry built up.”

LaPolice would have liked to see the offence perform a little better.

“We didn’t make enough plays to win it,” LaPolice said. “Hats off to (the Stamps). They’re a good defensive unit. We didn’t score as many points as we usually do, and they did a good job of holding us on first down to average yardage, not big plays, on first and 10. We have to get better at that.

“… Our defence holds that team to that many points, you feel offensively you gotta do more to win.”

SOLID SERNA: It took a couple of boots to get going, but Alexis Serna, who was filling in for the injured Mike Renaud, had nine punts for a 45.1-yard average against the Stamps.

“The first couple I didn’t hit too well,” Serna said. “I was kind of pulling my eyes a little bit fast. I got into a groove of seeing the ball well and started hitting the ball real well.

“I was most proud of those two punts in the fourth quarter (45 and 50 yarders). Two big punts, and we needed them. I was just glad to be able to get those off. The cover team did an awesome job all day.”

Serna also made his only field goal attempt, a 33-yarder.

INJURY WATCH: Safety Ian Logan suffered another hamstring injury on Saturday night and could miss a couple weeks. He missed the two previous games with a pull in the same hamstring.

“Same leg, different spot,” Logan said.

Special teamer and backup Canadian defensive back Jerry-Ralph Jules looks like he’ll be out for a while after suffering a right foot or ankle injury in the first half. He was already wearing a cast on his foot after the contest.

The losses of Logan and Jules leave the Bombers with only one healthy Canadian defensive back in safety Brady Browne, who started in Logan’s absence last month and took over for him on Saturday night.